Chelsea boss Graham Potter has attempted to play down expectations regarding the impact that Mykhaylo Mudryk may have at Stamford Bridge.
Last weekend, the Blues edged out Arsenal in the race to sign the Shakhtar Donetsk winger, committing to paying £88.6m for the Ukraine international.
While the transfer fee has divided opinion, Chelsea have signed a player who has a wide array of admirers across European football.
Those opinions have been formed through the 22-year-old contributing 12 goals and 17 assists from his 44 appearances for Shakhtar.
Chelsea have also placed faith - combined with the more convenient amortization - in Mudryk by handing him an eight-and-a-half-year contract.
© Reuters
The new arrival has spent recent days training with his new teammates, and the expectation is that he will be selected in the squad for Saturday's Premier League showdown with Liverpool at Anfield.
However, while Potter has acknowledged that he may hand a debut to Mudryk on Merseyside, the head coach of the West Londoners has hinted that he does not necessarily expect the attacker to make an immediate impact in English football.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference, the Englishman said: "He's a young player, an exciting player, fantastic speed and excellent in one-vs-one situations. He can attack the backline and now we've just got to help him adapt to the Premier League and adapt to us.
"He's come from a mid-season break so hasn't played so much football recently. But he's been training well. So we'll assess him and see how much he can play at the weekend.
© Reuters
When quizzed on a potential period of adaption, Potter added: "We've just got to help him and help everybody understand that he's come from a different country and a different league.
"So he has to adapt to us and to the competition. He is a young player that has a lot of potential, a lot of upside. He's also had some really good experiences already so he's an exciting player."
Potter was also asked on the pending arrival of PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke, but opted against commenting on the England Under-21 international.
Should that transfer go through as expected, Madueke will not come into contention for selection until the meeting with Fulham on February 3.
Darren Plant
